You cannot, on the one hand, claim that an Oldham thrashing shows what might have been had Lowes left sooner whilst on the other, now claim this game is meaningless. Some of the posters on here are almost bi-polar when commenting on Bulls' performances or on their signings.
Rohan Smith talks a great game but, as yet is un-proven as a Coach; we have not made any consistent progress under him - that may be difficult of course when many players are leaving - but they weren't all leaving up to the Fev game.
Any fan loves the idea of signing players who are (allegedly) ready to bust a gut "for the cause" but none of our signings are proven; even Leon Pryce could prove a cost-ineffective liability.
The Coach and the players have much to prove and, given the long lead-in to next year's pre-season we have had, they have next season to prove themselves.

Can I have some sympathy please. I went to watch Sheffied and Dewsbury, Nathan Conroy played well and Karl Price ran the water on well, I'll leave it at that

I would agree with that.

I would also add that nothing that happens this season could possibly come close to the low that was the Featherstone game. Largely because every game failed to really matter after Fev, and that game was truly truly dire.

Nobody has. HTH

After 2 minutes in the job? That's worrying


I would say in his first full season, all Smith can do is to make a start. New coach, new settled squad need maybe 3 seasons to gel and reach some consistent level. It's time we don't have, of course, and the reason for that is our first strategy failed miserably, so we have to start again, but that's the Catch22 isn't it.

Never thought I'd see the day when I didn't give a toss that Bradford lost. Well today is that day.

Pointless competition + already finished top + too many players moving on + players rested + young lads given a run out (which the fans have been asking for) + Workington had a point to prove and sounded to play very well = No s given whatsoever.

Only people I feel for are the fans that travelled all that way. Hats off to you and I hope you enjoyed the day despite the result.

Go back Ferocious and check your own posts after the Oldham game, added to your comment on today's.

You really do talk some forceful twaddle. Did Brian Smith need 3 years to improve the Bulls? Did Chris Chester need 3 seasons to improve Wakefield? Lee Radford took Hull to the top of SL within one and a half seasons and a Challenge Cup and possible Grand Final within two.

I cannot conceive that any Bradford fan will agree with you that Rohan Smith needs 3 seasons to make a marked improvement to the team and if the Bulls had slumped so far under Lowes (as you claim in your Oldham post) then it is not unreasonable that we should have seen some improvement in the last 4 months. We haven't.

Have we time for any new lows this season. Not making the top 2, Batley finishing above us, losing at home to Dewsbury, not making the top 4, the disgrace at Fev with so much resting on it, losing today against bottom of league. My lad knows a Workington player, upto yesterday they had 14 fit men and have recently took a 25% pay cut but can get up for today against us. I'm glad I lost interest half way through this season

You forgot Fax letting you have a win so as not to make it 5 on the bounce.

The only thing it proved to me is thatRohan is right to get rid of Your Olbis0ns, Fergusons
, Pitts , Addy (Especially) and all those so called senior pros who could not help the young lads to beat a relegated side. To all those who are going GOOD RIDDANCE

If I can offer you some hope Roger it's that a lot can change in 12 months in RL.

12 months a go Leeds were treble winners, now they're performing in the middle 8s. Huddersfield were chasing the LLS. Now they're staring relegation in the face. Wakefield were one of the SL sides there has ever been, now they're in the top 8 and made a cup semi final. Leigh were out of their depth in the middle 8s, now they're smashing SL sides for fun. Batley were fighting relegation, now they in the middle 8s. London didn't even win the shield last year, now they're the second best championship team.

Its been an horrendous year that's just kept kicking the fans in the guts. But hopefully in 12 months time,it will be a different story.

What a confused post, and a bit of ad hom thrown in too, nice.

First, the Bulls did indeed slump terribly under Lowes, and that's why we ended up stragglers. Had we started the year with a halfback even, things might have been different so it isn't all Lowes.

Of course within weeks we have seen an improvement, it's called Chisholm. But Smith has the overwhelming bulk of players at his disposal being those signed by others not him, and too many have shown they are simply not up to the job. Have you not seen the difference having a 7 has made, though?

Brian Smith? Maybe you've been drinking, but the fact is, he was only at the club 95-96 and he did exactly what he does, and what I am arguing, he laid the foundations and over the next few years his work was continued and the rest was history.

You are also confused between making an improvement, and becoming a good team. They are two different things. Making a marked improvement is the Oldham game, and bringing in the likes of Moss and Chisholm. Becoming a good team is like the post-Smith Bulls, and like Leigh, and like Hull.

You are also confusing starting effectively from scratch, as Smith is having to do, and building on a solid foundation, as Smith's successors did and as Radford has to some extent done, but if you want to talk about Radford (who was assistant coach at Hull before getting the main job, when was he appointed? Let me see - oh yes, 2013. What year is it now? I think 2016. How many years was that, then, by your reckoning?

It is ridiculous to suggest Smith can be judged on the arrse end of this season, and he has arrived at a time of great financial strife, which hasn't exactly helped. As for next season, all things being equal, he could make a proper start, but personally? I'll literally be delighted if we trot out onto the field in the first game, with all the winding up petitions, players not being paid, and huge loss of income. The omens are not great. You seem to be wanting instant and massive success, well, wouldn't we all but you're not being realistic. We're at best skint. Survival is where we are, IMHO.

Thought there were few, 'good', games from our lot, mostly mediocre at best. We didn't tackle hard enough and allowed far too many offloads, not to mention allowing Sammutt the run of the field - though I admit he can do that, at any time, when the mood takes him, with or without leave from the opposition. Jarrod was terrific, though that goes without saying - and, of course he's put that sort of performance in for us [allong with with some pretty awful ones too, as I recall..] many times.

The wind, along with far too many mistakes [mostly by us], ruined the game as any kind of spectacle. I thought the youngsters 'done good', though. Have to say they weren't given much of a lead by the more seasoned pros.

ATEOTD, I'm still where I was last week - still waiting patiently for the end of this miserable season, I guess when you travel with few expectations it's difficult to be too disappointed.

That kind of performance is unfortunately never far away with the current crop of first teamers barring a minority of newcomers. The half assed attitude that has grown amongst many of the first team is a cancer and I'm glad Smith is getting rid of many of them. Some still have some potential and may thrive elsewhere, others are never going to be good enough and will just be mediocre or poor wherever they go.

I'm hopeful that game will be the last of that kind of performance. The injection of new blood that has some enthusiasm along with some genuine grafters should see to that. With a sprinking of guile and experience we should be ok. Smith's got a big job on his hands but it'll become easier when he gets rid of players that don't have their hearts in it anymore.

I've been going now for over 30 years and I've yet to see any coach transform a side overnight. It takes time and careful recruitment. Smith walked into bad situation. 40+ players, some of whom that had been around for a couple of years yet played a handful of games. Others had been run into the ground and some had been recruited on a whim and then ignored. Morale must have been awful. Ross's "exodus" is just what we need.